Public Enemies – Review
Gangsters make the world go round. It’s certainly been true for cinema, as almost as talkies began, films on gangsters have been piquing movie-goers. The key gangster pics from Warner Brothers especially, have left their trademark on the overall history of film, as some of our most beloved actors (Cagney, Bogart, and Robinson) have played gangsters, and do I dare say that the public’s fascination with these crime-loving anti-heroes all began here, a lineage that is still being mined in current slang and hip-hop from these films, because the gangster is the perfect capitalist American. Their thug lifestyle is a perverted, but attractive version of the American Dream.
Michael Mann’s Public Enemies captures a lot of what I like about the 1930s WB gangster films, except for one crucial element: his film isn’t in black and white. Oh, what a delight that would have been, as Mann and his screen writing team rip a page right out of those film’s heydays, with each line of dialogue, with each Tommy gun fight, and with each swaggering step every time John Dillinger walks (Johnny Depp). Instead of going 100% nostalgic, Mann uses some HD cameras, to film the look of his gangster opus. I will admit, it seems jarring at first glance, and will cause a huge topic of discussion, but this approach displays an intimate feel to film, as if it is happening in real time. After awhile, you start to dig the intensity it brings to each scene. Mann is no stranger to using these cameras, as we have seen recently from him in Collateral and Miami Vice. I don’t doubt some people will have trouble with the look, but the real trouble is his use of what sounds like on-set audio. It’s borderline horrible; we sometimes can’t hear an actor as it sounds muffled, gun fights are loud and shrill, and the overall ambiance of a scene is lost. I know most will complain about the look, but it’s used in a neat way, the audio, not so much.
The film is littered with incredible talent in front of the camera; the fore-mentioned Johnny Depp is perfectly cast as Dillinger, the infamous gangster. Dillinger is a slimy bastard, but warm to good folk, and Depp is the perfect actor to be a slimy bastard. The film is about Dillinger’s crime wave of bank robberies, but it’s not a detailed account of his biography. The film is almost more about the use of “G-Men” and the new Crime Bill, that stated cross state robbery is now a felony. Big time stuff that eventually changed crime and laws forever in our country, a country ravage by gangsters, so much so it got the President involved at the time. As much as the film brings up these ideas, they don’t go to deep, sadly, as Mann is too eager to film his expertly staged gun battles.
I’ve heard it’s pretty faithful to the real life story, and while I commend the film for not following the gangster film conventions of the rise and fall of our anti-hero, the film needed more characterization. Outside of Dillinger’s simplicity- “I like baseball, movies, and you. What else do you need to know?”, little is devoted to his crew or even Christian Bale’s character. While the escaping from prison scenes and the constant shootouts are a blast to watch, and again, perfectly choreographed, there’s little to it, making for a borderline hollow film. Mann’s lucky Dillinger is charismatic, thanks to Depp, and there is a built-in appreciation and love for gangsters, because the film could have been a bust. I would be lying if I didn’t get a kick out of seeing fedoras, suits, Tommy guns, back on the silver screen again, with these actors. The rise of Hoover is interesting, and I can’t say it enough, Mann’s staging of the gun play is bar none, top-notch, it’s just that Public Enemies is a really good film, instead of what should have been a superior drama smacked dab in the summer. I hope kids recognize how gangsters were, as they aren’t just a term that is easily thrown around like now days. It’s about class. Mann’s film has class, as does John Dillinger. Despite some flaws, get ready to love gangsters all over again.
Rating: 
